#ESSFChat : Making Slow Fashion Mainstream Highlights

It’s no secret that the key to a movement – any movement – is conversation. You can’t change something if no one is talking about it. And so, the fashion industry and it’s consumers are not going to change either, unless we demand for brands to be transparent, remind consumers how cheap clothing is made, and talk to each other to share and develop ideas that will move this forward. Because I think conversation is such an important part of working toward a more ethical, sustainable and slow fashion industry, I started #ESSFChat.

#ESSFChat, which stands for Ethical, Sustainable and Slow Fashion Chat, is as far as I’m aware the very first Twitter chat dedicated solely to discussing ESSF (let’s get used to this acronym, typing it all out gets a little tiresome, y’all). I decided to create it while participating in another Twitter chat called #FashionUnfold, and realized that many people are really interested in talking about how sustainability can apply to fashion, and how the fashion industry can improve in various ways. After some planning, the first #ESSFChat finally happened yesterday.

After some introductions, we jumped right into it. Here are some of the highlights:

In relation to the first question…

Then Hannah brought up this excellent point, which we chatted about for a while…

We also touched on the importance of educating others about the topic…

You can read the full conversations by looking up the hashtag #ESSFChat on Twitter.

It was an exciting hour of connecting, brainstorming, and sharing ideas. Our next #ESSFChat is yet to be announced, but make sure you follow The Curious Button on Twitter to be the first to find out! I would love to have you join us. And if you want to make sure you get all other exciting announcements as well, you can stay in the know here.

What do you think the challenges and solutions to making slow fashion mainstream are? Let me know in the comments below!

One of the biggest challenges i reckon is that ‘slow fashion’ is not perceived as oomphy enough. It really needs to get on the ramps of Milan, NY, London… Showcasing on a mainstream platform.

Perhaps yet another challenge is the few big Fashion Brands/Houses will lose huge revenue, as money will be earned by millions of local artisans instead (inclusive growth). Akin to the giant Pharma industry lobby, the Naturopathy stream of alternate medicine rests in a limited niche. Tough one this!

Last but not the least is that ‘slow fashion’ necessarily appeals to conscientious customers, a tiny segment at the top end of the pyramid (yet)…Brand Salience, Brand Credibility and Brand Value play a huge role in their decision making process. And then, we all know how much ‘consistent time and big bucks’ are required to get there!

Nonetheless, I truly believe that this small segment is large enough for all of us who are pushing the cause. A little support from each other can short-circuit the caveats of Time and Big Bucks!

Cheers to your fabulous efforts ( including ESSF – Congrats) and blessings to all those who continue to support this cause/movement.